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MORE MYTHS OF MASSAGE
There are several myths of massage that seem to be passed down through generations of massage therapy teachers. I am going to list a few of my favourites, and hope you will add yours.I'm sure there are lots more. Let's dispell the myths and teach fact-based massage therapy!
1. Massage releases lactic acid from the muscles
2. We cannot treat clients with cancer as massage will spread the cancer through the body
3. A crooked spine (scoliosis) can be straightened by doing tapotement on the "weak" side of the spine and relaxing massage on the "tight" side of the spine
4. We cannot do manual lymph drainage and effleurage in one treatment as the lymph nodes will shut down and the client's legs and arms will swell up
1. Massage releases lactic acid from the muscles
2. We cannot treat clients with cancer as massage will spread the cancer through the body
3. A crooked spine (scoliosis) can be straightened by doing tapotement on the "weak" side of the spine and relaxing massage on the "tight" side of the spine
4. We cannot do manual lymph drainage and effleurage in one treatment as the lymph nodes will shut down and the client's legs and arms will swell up
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Julie Onofrio on
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I think more importantly are the beliefs that are passed on in this profession -
- You can't make much money.
- You won't make $100,000 a year
- It will take you a few years to be successful
- You have to have low rates, work on people longer than their alloted time and come in on weekends and evenings to get clients
- Charging for your services is unfair for the clients
- It is better to charge low rates so that more people can come to you
- You have to take every client that calls
- You have to sacrifice your self in order to be successful
-It is better to live in poverty than to charge more to clients
-It is not about the money
- Massage therapists have to struggle to make a living
What about those myths!?
http://thebodyworker.com/massage_blog/itt-not-about-the-money/
Julie
www.massage-career-guides.com
www.thebodyworker.com
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Permalink Reply by lee kalpin on
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HI Julie
I don't think I have heard those comments from students or therapists - not for many years anyway! These are very negative and self-effacing statements.
When I was teaching business (for 15 years) I always encouraged students to think of themselves as professionals. All professionals charge appropriately for their services. If the service is worth having, (has value) it's worth paying for. If therapists don't value themselves, then it is not likely that their clients will value them.
Our professional Association has a list of suggested fees. This is helpful in dealing with insurance companies. Not everyone sticks to the fee schedule - some charge slightly more or less depending on their circumstances. But the schedule certainly reflects the value of massage therapy.
Most of the massage therapists I know are self-employed, own their own homes, travel on vacations, put their kids through college, and generally have a comfortable life-style - as they should.
The only one of these statements I would agree with - somewhat - is that it takes some time to establish and practice and become successful. Any new business has a start-up time to get off the ground and start building.
I am rather shocked by these statements! Do people really say these things??? These are really self-defeating ideas.
I wonder where they are getting this? Is it from their teachers? From people already in practice?
Most of my students were much more upbeat than that and hoped to make a good living as health care professionals.
Julie Onofrio said:I think more importantly are the beliefs that are passed on in this profession -
- You can't make much money.
- You won't make $100,000 a year
- It will take you a few years to be successful
- You have to have low rates, work on people longer than their alloted time and come in on weekends and evenings to get clients
- Charging for your services is unfair for the clients
- It is better to charge low rates so that more people can come to you
- You have to take every client that calls
- You have to sacrifice your self in order to be successful
-It is better to live in poverty than to charge more to clients
-It is not about the money
- Massage therapists have to struggle to make a living
What about those myths!?
http://thebodyworker.com/massage_blog/itt-not-about-the-money/
Julie
www.massage-career-guides.com
www.thebodyworker.com
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Permalink Reply by Bert Davich on
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Hello again lee,
Regarding scoliosis myths, I thought you should know that there was an interesting post on Erik Dalton's Myoskeletal Alignment Group (on massageprofessionals.com) from a "DL Williams" regarding scoliosis and the rotation of the axis. I am not making any judgment on the comment, but it bears looking into.
Here is the group address.
http://www.massageprofessionals.com/group/erikdaltonmyoskeletalalig...
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Hello Bert
I had a look at this article (although it is difficult for me to read long articles on the computer due to eye problems). There is a great deal of good information here about what scoliosis is, and how it progresses. More detail than one usually sees.
The passive stretches which were demonstrated as On the Table tretament looked very good.I have issues with part of the recommended treatments which shows the therapist doing a "stimulating" technique on one side of the spine and a stretching technique on the other . This is part of the "myth" I was writing about. I don't believe that this serves any purpose. A stimulating technique can provide a very brief effect if you are going to do a golgi tendon release, but it does not have any longer-term effect. And by longer term I mean for more than a few brief seconds. It does not strengthen the muscle or give the muscle the ability to change the curvature of the spine. It is not harmful in any way, it is just not at all effective. We are better to use client time on the table to perform manipulations that will help to relieve tension and pain.
Lee
Bert Davich said:Hi lee,
My apology, I forgot to include the link to the page. Here it is:
http://erikdalton.com/articles.htm
You will find the "Symptomatic Scoliosis" article under Pain Management Technique Articles Massage & Bodywork Magazine. The techniques in this article have also been effective for clients that do not have scoliosis, but have tension on one side of the vertebral column due to a strain or repetitive strain injury causing a slight spinal curve due to postural compensations to deal with the pain/discomfort.
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Permalink Reply by Tene' on
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I was taught that massaging the hands and feet (primarily ankles) was off limits because it could cause miscarriage or early delivery.
lee kalpin said:There are also numerous myths about treating pregnant women with massage. One is that you shouldn't give a pregnant woman massage during the first trimester. Silly, because most women don't even know they are pregnant until they are at least 2 months pregnant, or maybe 3 months. So if they are regular massage clients, they have had a lot of massage by then. Anyone know any other pregnancy massage myths?
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I realize many people are taught this, but there is no scientific evidence for it at all.
Many people have reflexology throughout pregnancy with no ill effects
Lee
Tene' said:I was taught that massaging the hands and feet (primarily ankles) was off limits because it could cause miscarriage or early delivery.
lee kalpin said:There are also numerous myths about treating pregnant women with massage. One is that you shouldn't give a pregnant woman massage during the first trimester. Silly, because most women don't even know they are pregnant until they are at least 2 months pregnant, or maybe 3 months. So if they are regular massage clients, they have had a lot of massage by then. Anyone know any other pregnancy massage myths?
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Permalink Reply by Connie McKim on
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Why doesn't epsom salts relieve muscle soreness? Do you know if it's only the warmth of the water doing the trick? I look forward to a nice soak in the tub with either mineral salts or epsoms salts after a day giving a lot of massages. Does the web site you listed explain why epsoms salts don't work? I've been giving bogus advice to clients for years given this new myth buster.
Laura Allen said:Another one is about Epsom salts baths relieving soreness after a massage. Paul Ingraham has posted an article on his website about that one and a number of other myths. He said he actually got a lot of hate mail about it. He didn't realize people would get so whacked out over something as ordinary as Epsom salts.
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How right your teacher was!! No one would need to have labour induced, they would just press on a reflex point and there you go - the baby would be born. The way it should properly be taught is that "some practitioners believe that pressure on certainly points may cause the uterus to contract, possibly bringing on labour".
It is an example of how an unproven supposition turns into a "fact" and a "contraindication"
JenniferB said:I heard a myth in massage school that is you pushed on a certain reflexology point on the foot or ankle it would induce labor. My teacher laughed and said if it were that easy then we wouldn't need Dr.'s and epidurals. =)
lee kalpin said:There are also numerous myths about treating pregnant women with massage. One is that you shouldn't give a pregnant woman massage during the first trimester. Silly, because most women don't even know they are pregnant until they are at least 2 months pregnant, or maybe 3 months. So if they are regular massage clients, they have had a lot of massage by then. Anyone know any other pregnancy massage myths?
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Hello Connie,
Regarding the efficacy of Epsom Salt per Paul Ingraham, I would recommend you look into it for yourself. Here is the website of the Epsom Salt Council. http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/health_why_it_works.htm. I would not take their claims at face value either. I have not looked into the "medical research" and "studies" claims of the Epsom Salt Council, but then I don't recommend to clients that Epsom Salt baths will relieve soreness they might feel from a massage. Since you are feeling you may have been giving bogus advice, before you condemn yourself, go to the epsom salt website and use 'contact us' and request the information regarding the "studies" and "medical research" they claim. If they cannot or will not deliver, you can probably take their claims with "a grain of epsom salt". You can also check out Pub Med for research studies that are available to the public free. Do not 'google' it as you will not get any real efficacy or medical research studies, you will be overwhelmed by unsubstantiated claims.
Paul's claim rests on his statement that he cannot find any publications regarding alleviating aches and pains or detoxification, and the fact that it did not work for him. He may well be right, but the absence of finding something published and the fact that it did not work for him does not constitute a valid scientific conclusion either. Who knows, you may end up busting the myth that it does not help. I for one would like to see the Epsom Salt Council substantiate their claim that Medical Research shows soaking in epsom salt will reduce inflammation and relieve pain by coughing up the Medical Research paper.
Connie McKim said:Why doesn't epsom salts relieve muscle soreness? Do you know if it's only the warmth of the water doing the trick? I look forward to a nice soak in the tub with either mineral salts or epsoms salts after a day giving a lot of massages. Does the web site you listed explain why epsoms salts don't work? I've been giving bogus advice to clients for years given this new myth buster.
Laura Allen said:Another one is about Epsom salts baths relieving soreness after a massage. Paul Ingraham has posted an article on his website about that one and a number of other myths. He said he actually got a lot of hate mail about it. He didn't realize people would get so whacked out over something as ordinary as Epsom salts.
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Permalink Reply by marissa lynn bauer on
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so whats released through the muscles then? #1
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You are assuming that some "toxin" is released from the muscles and can be drawn out through the skin.
We do excrete some substances through the pores of the skin, for example, when we sweat we excrete salt (sodium), and some medications such as chemo definitely are excreted through the skin.
But I don't believe there is evidence that something is released from the muscles and excreted through the skin. I'm sure some of the people on this site who have a good science background will be able to clarify on this.
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Permalink Reply by Jorge Arnaldo Pabón Acevedo on
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Greetings!
I have the experience that one of my clients have 13 degrees of deviation in the spine, she is now 20 years old, and I treatment her since she was 18. His back is literally almost a "S". I know, personally, any technique which "straighten" the spine, but the techniques of Quiromasaje help much to alleviate the severe back pain caused by muscle strains of the deviation. It takes me 60 to 75 minutes a session of massage for her. Working to address lumbar to trapezius (shoulders). Use a very leisurely pace and stimulating the nervous system rather than a way to "sleep" for a while. Incorporate these techniques with some deep tissue massage (but not so deep, because it can cause considerable pain). The techniques of cold and heat, sit up, but in her case it is not very useful, given for her physical therapist therapy heat and cold and it goes well annoyed that her massage therapist therapy makes better and better Results (lol).
Well this is my experience with deviations in the column.
lee kalpin said:Hi Bert
I was unable to find the link to the article you mentioned, and I would very much like to read it.
Most of the clients I treat are adults - I have one child client at present.
From my own experience with scoliosis, as well as the many people I have treated, I can give you the following input.
I don't believe we can change a structural scoliosis (one where bony changes have taken place). We can be effective on three levels.
1. Symptomatic relief. Using myofascial release, trigger point release, deep petrissage, and all techniques that we have at our disposal for relief of muscular back pain. Most of the pain from scoliosis results from the muscles being pulled in unnatural directions, and from the client having to work/ use their muscles with these unnatural imbalances. So all techniques that relieve muscle pain are helpful.
2. Therapeutic exercise> The goal is for the client to maintain mobility and strength of the back - in all directions and in all ranges. We want the client to be able to maintain normal function, or as close to normal as is possible for them. I have had clientscome to me with dire predictions from their doctors,(that they would soon be confined to a wheelchair). We need to reassure the client they they can live a normal life, always. Active range of motion exercises in all directions, in all ranges. Stretching to lengthen shortened muscles. Strengthening exercises to build up any muscles that have become weak. Strengthening core muscles (abdominals) to support the back.
And general encouragement that they can live normally. They may never be completely pain free, but they can have function
3. Emotional support.
In most cases of adult scoliosis, the curvature will not progress very much. I find I have more rotation of the spine as the years go by. Arthritis is likely to set in earlier than it might in a person with a straight spine. The therapist can provide emotional support and encouragement. The client should be encouraged to maintain as normal a llifestyle as possible, but also helped to modify their lifestyle in ways that are necessary to avoid excessive pain.
The person will scoliosis will probably never be pain - free. Our goal is to maintain FUNCTION as well as possible for that person.
None of this is rocket-science. It is really what we do for most of our clients.
I hope some of these comments might be useful to you.
Lee
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